The autumn and winter months are the perfect opportunity to refresh your beauty routine, whether it's opting for creamier base products (to ward off dryness) or a darker lip shade, to match the season's colour palette. The latter is proving very popular on social media by way of a certain e.l.f lip combo which, naturally, our team have raced to sample...
Our lip preferences, like our signature scents, are a very personal thing. We all have personal thoughts on the best long-lasting lipsticks, shades and formulas that we gravitate towards and those that we avoid. Our beauty team is no exception, with some of us opting for the best tinted lip balms over traditional lipsticks and vice versa. That said, we've all recently discovered some common ground where a certain trending lip combo is concerned.
Comprised of a lip liner and lip oil, the duo is currently making the rounds on TikTok and despite featuring colours many of our colleagues would never usually wear, the results have been a flattering surprise, to say the least. Oh, and did we mention it's just £11 (for both liner and oil)?
Our honest review of this season's must-have lip combo
If you've been following this year's beauty trends, you may already be aware that burgundy has swiftly become the colour of the season - be it on fingernails, eyelashes (yes burgundy mascara is a thing) or lips. Of course, dark lipsticks are always a timeless and popular choice when autumn rolls around, but lately, we've seen a rise in demand for wine-like hues.
This brings us nicely to e.l.f's oh-so-popular lip duo, which consists of a burgundy lip oil (shade Jam Session) applied over a dark brown liner (shade Dark Cocoa) to very chic and autumnal effect.
RRP: £3
Offering a semi-matte finish and an impressive colour pay-off, these lip liners are a true beauty staple. Their creamy formula glides onto the lips (hence the name) and is so easy to blend, affording a very elevated and premium-looking pout for under a fiver.
RRP: £8
This vegan and cruelty-free lip oil features jojoba oil and feels so hydrating on the lips. It's comfortable, non-sticky and boasts a fresh minty scent that affords a very flattering sheer wash of glossy colour to the lips.
The combo has been the subject of countless TikTok videos, some of which boast over 100k views, with many dubbing it the perfect lip combo for the cold weather months.
@vivianafloraa ♬ we fell in love in october - girl in red
@ambydaily ♬ Her Eyes - Charlie Jeer
Now, this is quite the claim, so as a team of varying ages, skin tones and lipstick preferences, we were curious to see if it is really as flattering or versatile as it looks...
Our verdict on the e.l.f lip combo and how to adapt it to suit you
Before we dive into how each member of our beauty team found the duo, we must first draw your attention to the price. This was one of the biggest selling points for all of us - genuinely, we were gobsmacked by the lip liner being just £3. Both products together cost £11, which is pretty staggering when you compare the liner to the likes of Charlotte Tilbury's iconic Lip Cheat, which retails at £21.
As for how both the lip liner and oil paired, Digital Beauty Editor, Aleesha Badkar was a big fan, despite it not being something she would usually wear: "I was genuinely scared at how dark the pencil looked and was convinced it would not work for me at all. But I was super pleasantly surprised as soon as I applied it. I think it adds a real note of sophistication to any look and makes me feel a lot more put-together." Aleesha adds that she loves how it complements the light brown highlights in her hair, adding that it, "goes with most outfits but looks especially great with an earthy-coloured cosy jumper or winter coat."
Application-wise, Aleesha softly lined the very outer edge of her lips, noting: "I like to have a good amount of shape to the liner for precision but not too much of a point as that creates a harsher line, which I didn't want for this look." She then buffed the line inward with her finger, "to add a shadow of colour to the rest of my lips," and then swiped on the oil - so as not to wipe off too much of the liner. For a more muted and less shiny look, Aleesha also likes to likely dab any excess away with a tissue.
While not usually gravitating towards bolder shades, Digital Beauty Writer, Sennen Prickett was also won over by this combo: "When it comes to lip colours, I’m not very adventurous and tend to stick to what I know and love (i.e. any neutral hue), so I was initially slightly sceptical of this burgundy lip combination. However, much to my surprise, I fell in love with it upon my first application."
Sennen adds that "the chocolate brown lip liner is the perfect candidate for sculpting your lips to give a plumper appearance - plus, it is incredibly creamy which makes it super easy to apply. As for the lip oil, it boasts a hydrating and non-sticky formula with a sheer wine-esque tint that is far from daunting and so easy to wear. When applied together, the result is a deeper neutral hue. On more natural makeup days, I ditch the lip liner and simply sport the lip oil on its own for a subtle tinted glossy pout. With all that said, it is officially my new everyday lip shade for autumn/winter."
Our Digital Beauty Editor, Fiona McKim was also initially sceptical, especially in regards to the dark brown liner. "I’ll admit I cheated," she quips, adding, "I felt so certain that the original duo wouldn’t suit my pale-with-a-dash-of-pink Scottish colouring (and that my pushing-40 face wouldn’t take a dark lip liner any better than my 14-year-old one did in the ‘90s when I tried it the first time) I subbed in Spill The Tea liner. This friendlier, medium brown shade melted pretty nicely into the tawny port warmth of the oil, which happily, goes on far sheerer than expected."
RRP: £3
"Overall I'm feeling the finished look, although I’d be lying if I said it was my usual vibe (very much a pink tinted balm woman) The best thing about this challenge was discovering glow reviver generally, which is comfy, plumping and unlike every lip oil I’ve ever tried doesn’t suck strands of my hair into its clutches like a venus flytrap. It’s going straight in my handbag - the liner I’ll save for parties only."
Like Fiona, Digital Beauty Writer, Naomi Jamieson also admits that she ended up tweaking the combo ever-so-slightly, opting to pair the oil with e.l.f's Mauve Aside liner shade instead. "I have very pale skin with a cool undertone, so bar the very rare occasion when I'm feeling brave enough for a red lip, I tend to keep things very natural and subtle. I knew from the off that Dark Cocoa probably wouldn't suit me but still, I tried it out and while I was impressed by the creaminess of the liner and how easy it was to blend and diffuse (which did make the shade a lot softer and more wearable for me), I found that Mauve Aside, which is a warmer, rosy-terracotta, looked far more flattering on me."
RRP: £3
"The formula and colour payoff of both liners really impressed me. They felt so comfortable and for just £3, they're a total bargain, but it was the lip oil that really won me over. It's truly one of the best lip oils I've used. On its own, it imparts a gorgeous wash of sheer burgundy to your lips that, despite how it sounds, is surprisingly subtle but so elevated for autumn/winter - especially when paired with the Mauve liner. It also has a soft minty scent and doesn't feel heavy or sticky on the lips, which I love, so much so that it's become a permanent fixture in my handbag. P.S. It also looks great over Charlotte Tilbury's Pillow Talk liner, if you favour more of a rose-nude lip."
All in all, at least one product - if not both - from the duo has made it into our beauty teams' handbags, so we would indeed dub it worthy of its viral status. The combo is also incredible value for money, particularly if you're looking for a chic lip gloss alternative or timeless lip liner ahead of party season.
